A Shikamaru One Shot
by Ennaxor-rox
Summary: Mei is a girl who loves Shikamaru with all her heart, but what happens when his heart belongs to somebody else?


Mei could only listen silently as _he_ kept describing the girl _he_ crushed on - **Temari**_;_ she could only watch as _he_ got ready for _his_ first date with **Temari**... it drove her crazy watching _him_ fall heads-over-heels in love with **her**. Mei had been _his_ best friend even before Chouji was, and she fell in love with the lazy ninja... but sadly, _he_ never realized how she felt even though _he_ was so smart... _he_ never noticed the tears in her eyes when _he_ went to spend afternoons with **Temari**, even though _he_ had promised to spend it with Mei. But poor Mei never said a word - she didn't want _him_ to get all worried.

Chouji was worried about his female friend; he had never seen her so depressed! She used to be happy-go-lucky all the time, but since **Temari** came, she always stayed home, rarely going outside. When she did, it was when she was buying something for _him_ when _he_ went on _his_ dates with **Temari** or when _they_ had plans to go somewhere and have a picnic. Even the other ninja were worried about Mei since she was one of the kindest in the village and was very generous.

They could sometimes see Mei wandering about with a huge grin on her face, and when someone would ask her why she looked so happy she would always reply '_Shika-kun_ and I are gonna spend the afternoon together!!'. But most of the time, on that said afternoon, she was seen walking home with that same small smile she always wore when _he_ broke their plans to be with **Temari**.

_He_ was Nara Shikamaru, and Shika-kun was the nickname Mei gave him when they were younger. He was the smartest in his class when he had graduated, but he didn't realize Mei's feelings for him. The elders of the village would shake their heads at him on the days that he let Mei down, but he would only look at them with a confused look on his face, for he had forgotten all about their plans!! The other villagers would do their best to cheer Mei up, even just a little bit... but they knew that the only thing that would really make her happy was him.

Sadly, he then fell in love with **her**.

**She **was Temari, a ninja from Suna. She has two brothers, Gaara and Kankuro. She had blonde hair tied into four ponytails, and she had captured Shikamaru's heart. She went on dates with him, clueless about the fact that he often deserted his best friend, Mei, to be with her instead.

But... the worst was yet to come for Mei.

On Mei's birthday, Shikamaru was walking around town as usual, hoping to meet Temari somewhere along the road. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of her blonde hair. He ran towards her, and he saw her carrying a heavy bag and she was walking towards the gate. He asked her why she was leaving, and she answered that they needed to get back to Suna. Not wanting to have her leave yet, he spent the rest of the day with her, forgetting about the fact that he had already promised Mei that he was going to spend the day with her on her **birthday**.

At night time, as Shikamaru walked home, satisfied by the fact that he spent the day with Temari; he saw the villagers giving him dirty looks. He ignored them and continued walking home. He opened the door and saw his parents looking at him with sad faces while taking down some streamers. His mother shook her head and pointed towards a cake on the table - it said 'Happy Birthday Mei!!' He realized that he had forgotten, and he ran to Mei's house as fast as his legs would carry him. When he got there, he found the door locked. He knocked, but there was no answer. He climbed up the window and he saw that the house was empty. He went inside and saw a note on her bedside table. He opened it and began to read it. It said:

* * *

Dear Shika-kun,

I left... and I won't be coming back, ever. I'm sorry for taking up your precious time. You could actually be going out with Temari right now. Take this heart with you wherever you go - it will protect you, and in severe circumstances, it will summon a clone of me there. Good luck on your dates with Temari!!

Love from,

Mei

* * *

Two years later, he had finally realized... that he loved her. He had broken up with Temari, and she now has a new boyfriend in Suna. He felt like there was a huge chunk of him missing. That missing part was Mei. Too bad, he was too late.

~Flashback~

On the day that he found her note, he searched everywhere for her... and he found her sitting underneath her favourite Sakura tree, clutching a picture of the two of them together, smiling. He turned it around and saw what he had written down: 'Best friends for LIFE'! And underneath it, he saw Mei's writing.

* * *

Dear Shika-kun,

I know we said we'll be best friends for life... but I always wanted more than that... I couldn't bear to watch you with Temari, so I decided that our friendship should end...

You might not have noticed, so I'll tell you: You're hurting me, torturing me - **killing** me. To stop all of that, I'll make what I had said to you on the day I met you come true: '_I'll be your friend until the day I die..._' And now that that day has come, I can complete the other half that you never heard: '_... and on that day, I finally will be able to love you fully, with nothing holding me back..._' and now I can finally rest in peace, knowing that we can be more than just friends.

* * *

Shikamaru dropped the picture, tears streaming down his cheeks. He fell to his knees and began shaking his best friend, trying to make her wake up again. He tried to convince himself it was only a dream, no not a dream, a horrible nightmare. But alas, his best friend was dead and there was nothing he could do to bring her back to life.

~End flashback~

He glanced at the silken heart in his hand – the one that Mei gave him a few days before her birthday. Shikamaru stood over Mei's tombstone, reading her name over and over again. Tears began to form in his eyes as he tried not to cry. He stayed there until evening, while the villagers could only shake their heads sadly at him. He suddenly remembered Mei's face every time he told her he would have to cancel. She always looked so broken. He couldn't take it anymore and fell down right there and began sobbing loudly. It was his fault she was dead, his. Mei had been there for him through thick and thin, but all he did was cause her pain... and yet, Mei was standing over him that night, drying his tears and comforting him until morning came; whispering the words she was never able to say while she was alive:

_"I Love you, Shikamaru..."_


End file.
